Three into two won't go.

posted by John Winn

'Sky Sports 1 Tuesday 10;30 LIVE County Championship Cricket
The first of four days of play in a significant fixture as titles, promotion, and relegation are decided.'

The above extract from next week's Radio Times gives Sky the get out to cover the only remaining issue in this season's competition, namely which two out of Derbyshire, Yorkshire, and Kent will be promoted from Division Two for, as predicted in a posting earlier in the week all other issues are now settled . Warwickshire, of course clinched the title shortly after lunch yesterday and at the same time confirmed Worcestershire's relegation. About half past five this afternoon Lancashire's defeat at Lord's means they too will play second division cricket next season, just twelve months after the pennant was placed in their custody.

Yorkshire's comfortable victory yesterday left them as onlookers today and had Derbyshire been able to bat out the day at Canterbury then a 'good draw'  at Chelmsford next week would probably have been sufficient to see them promoted. The loss of two Derbyshire wickets last night meant that their survival today was unlikely and although several batsmen offered deteremined resistance the dismissal of Turner just before five meant that the east midlanders will go into Tuesday's game with Hampshire with Yorkshire and Kent, their closest rivals, just one and six points behind respectively. After looking the most likely candidate for promotion at the beginning of the week the pessimism that never seems far below the surface at The County Ground may well resurface.

Despite the possibility of the game at Chelmsford being televised I suspect the outcome of the Kent Derbyshire match has  increased the number of Yorkshire followers planning a trip to Essex next week. With two wins behind them Yorkshire can approach the game with a settled, confident side but it would be folly to think that Essex will be a pushover just because they have no prize to play for, just look what they did to Hampshire. What ever the position this time next week let's hope that the team that loses out can not blame the weather.

Finally just to tidy up, in  the second eleven championship Kent pipped Leicester by one wicket at Grace Road chasing down 225 after being 119 for 7 at one time. Full details on the Leicester website.